California charges sales and use tax of 7.25% at the state level, and local jurisdictions add their own, which brings a typical vehicle to about 9.75%. A trade-in does not reduce the taxable price here.
Type your own numbers and see the same car priced as cash and as a loan, with the taxes and state fees for California. Nothing you type leaves this page.
To see a lease, pick a vehicle. A lease is priced on one car: what it is expected to be worth at the end (its residual) and the leasing company's money factor change by model and by month.
An estimate on the numbers you type, not an offer of credit or a quote from any dealership. Starting loan rates are Rateous's rates for each credit range and term; they are not an offer from any lender. The documentary fee starts at an example figure, the state's legal cap where it has one or $599 where it does not, not any dealership's fee; each dealership sets its own. Taxes and state fees are estimates for California; the dealership's paperwork and your motor vehicle agency have the final numbers. Nothing you type is sent, saved, or used to check your credit.
Statewide base rate is 7.25%; district taxes (0.10% to 3.5%) are collected at the rate of the address where the vehicle is registered, not the dealer's location (CDTFA Publication 34).
In Los Angeles County the combined rate starts at 10.25%, 3% above the state rate; Alameda County runs 10.25% to 10.75%, and Lancaster and Palmdale reach 11.75%, so the district share can reach 4.5%.
Manufacturer rebates and factory incentives do not reduce the taxable price; tax is due on the full price before rebates. Dealer discounts do reduce it.
Fee amounts are CPI-indexed each January; the figures shown are the DMV's posted 2026 amounts.
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Los Angeles, no trade-in: the same figures the calculator above uses. The dealership's documentary fee is its own and is not included.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Registration fee | $76.00 |
| CHP fee | $34.00 |
| Title fee | $28.00 |
| License plate fee | $1.00 |
| Smog abatement fee | $20.00 |
| Transportation Improvement Fee | $198.00 |
| Vehicle License Fee (0.65% of price) | $227.50 |
| Los Angeles County fees (auto theft, abandoned vehicle, freeway emergency, fingerprint, air district) | $11.00 |
| In all | $595.50 |
California taxes a lease one payment at a time: the tax is added to each monthly payment, so you pay it as you go.
Pick your city for the exact combined rate where you register, plus what title and registration run there.
California charges 7.25% at the state level and local jurisdictions add more, so a typical combined rate on a vehicle is about 9.75% and can reach 11.75% at the high end. The rate is set by the address you register the car to, so pick your city above for the exact figure.
California allows no trade-in deduction; tax applies to the full selling price of the new vehicle.
On a $35,000 new car with a $37,000 sticker, registered in Los Angeles: Registration fee $76.00, CHP fee $34.00, Title fee $28.00, License plate fee $1.00, Smog abatement fee $20.00, Transportation Improvement Fee $198.00, Vehicle License Fee (0.65% of price) $227.50, Los Angeles County fees (auto theft, abandoned vehicle, freeway emergency, fingerprint, air district) $11.00, about $595.50 in all. Original registration for a $40,000 new car: registration fee $76 (includes $3 alternative fuel/technology fee) + CHP fee $34 + Transportation Improvement Fee $198 (value $35,000-$59,999; $132 for $25,000-$34,999) + Vehicle License Fee 0.65% of value ($260) + county/district fees (roughly $20-30) + plates $28. Zero-emission vehicles MY2020+ add a $121 Road Improvement Fee.
Yes, at $85. Vehicle Code 4456.5: a dealer's document processing charge is capped at $85 for dealers in the DMV's private industry partner program, which every new-car dealer must join, and $70 otherwise.
California taxes a lease one payment at a time: the tax is added to each monthly payment, so you pay it as you go.